NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 1st May (68)

PAY ATTENTION TO MOVIES RELEASED ON STREAMING PLATFORMS

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/pay-attention-to-movies-released-on-streaming-platforms

Summary

Some of the more recent film releases are being questioned as to whether they ever really did get released as they haven't been released in movie theatres but instead on online streaming platforms such as Netflix. For example, Adam Leon's "Tramps". Some of the films released only to streaming platforms are losing the opportunity to be considered for awards as they don't fit the traditional definition of a film release which is for it first to be in cinemas. Netflix is acquiring some very ambitious films nowadays, with first releases from the likes of Adam Sandler. 

Key Statistics

• Maya Vitkova’s film “Viktoria,” which took in $11,314 at the box office

• Approximately 1 thousand people are likely to have seen Viktoria in the theatre

My Opinion

I don't see why the traditional film release is still being regarded as being released in the cinema as with the dramatic changes of NDM this is no longer the case it is Netflix and LoveFilm going forward for film releases. Why do films have to loose their release status just because they are released online rather than in the cinema? The industry needs to adapt in terms of releases and fast. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 1st May (67)

Government 'blocked' from accessing Twitter data to help spot terrorist plots

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/25/government-blocked-accessing-twitter-data-help-spot-terrorist/

Summary

Twitter has denied key Government organisations such as the Police and MI5 access to data on potential terrorist threats, which is a move that ministers fear will make the country less safe. Denying access to the Police and MI5 comes in addition to denying access to the CIA last year. They made this decision to stop user data being used for surveillance. Prior to Twitter blocking this access it is understood that the Government paid a third party company for a tracking service that flagged key terms related to terrorism. Ministers are said to be incredibly angry about the decision and have attempted to have it overturned but been unsuccessful. 

Key Statistics - http://www.wired.co.uk/article/twitter-transparency-report-2017

• Twitter's spam tools helped shut down 376,890 terrorist accounts in 6 months

• This is a steep increase from the previous year when  636,248 accounts had been suspended in total between August 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016.

My Opinion

I think that in the short term Twitter has made a good decision to ban Government access to user accounts in a bid to stop their information being used for surveillance purposes. However, this isn't a long term solution in my opinion as with the multitude of platforms I am sure that Twitter is not the only platform that the Government should be wanting access to for users or posts potentially flagged up as terrorism.  

Ignite Presentations

Ladan - Twitter

• How politicians use Twitter? - Donald Trump (has taken advantage of Twitter to create hysteria. "Twitter is basically used by politicians to influence other influencers". 

• Euromaidan - Social movement happening in Ukraine: Protesters are fighting for their human rights, democracy and freedom after a treaty between the European Union and Ukraine was not signed.

• Malcolm Gladwell - Social media is an effective tool to use for activism 

• Statistics - Twitter has over 15 million active users in the UK

                         -  65% of these users are under the age of 34 years old

• Theory - Two Step Flow: Audiences are influenced by opinion leaders; in the case of Twitter those who have some sort of power or popularity on the platform. (Most followed users top 4 = Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama & Taylor Swift)

My Opinion: The Twitter platform has dramatically changed over the past few years as a result of NDM. Before it was simply a communication platform allowing us to express our views in the 140 character word limit. But now as technology has further developed it has helped many of us in other ways. Namely, Twitter has changed the way we consume news and what news we choose to consume. (6th Jan 2016 - tweet live streaming people crossing a puddle was heavily engaged with and this didn't come from a traditional news source) As well as this many have said that Twitter has helped them to get jobs.

Abayomi - Spotify

• What is streaming? - A way to deliver music without the need to download it

• Spotify main audience - Millenials/Generation Z 

• Theory - Pareto's Law: Top artists are the most listened too

• Other streaming platforms - Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music & TIDAL

• About Spotify - Launched in 2008

                                 -  Operates in over 20 locations

• Users - June 2016 = 100m 

• Distribution of active users = 13 - 18 yrs = 21% & 18-24 yrs = 26%

• Control = Increased (Independant Artists offered exclusive deals)

• Ownership = Remains (62% of music sold comes from SME, WMG, UMG as of 2016)

• Physical Performance = CD + DVD revenues fell by £8.7m 

                                                - Digital revenues grew by £12.8m

My Opinion = As I briefly mentioned in my PPT streaming services have already sky rocketed in their popularity and are going to continue to grow with the developments of technology so I am not surprised at  the statistics Abayomi presented in his PPT as they only reinforce my point of streaming services taking over physical outlets like cinemas, CD stores etc. 

Amrit - Instagram

• Aim: To share images in a easier way

• Positive - Integrate with one another more 

• Negative - Online bullying 

• Main Audience - 18-29 year olds

• Main Rival - Instagram 

• Statistic - 600 million monthly users (ahead of Twitter) 

• About - Owned by Facebook

• Americanization -  A heavy American culture is passed across to us through Instagram

My Opinion: Just like all the social media platforms out there Instagram already has and is developing a stronger web influence. So many of us turn to social media platforms to govern the way we live our life we are constructing a identity of who we want to be through social media like Instagram. For example, you might follow Kim Kardashian and construct a identity that makes you want to look like her.   

                                 

Sunny - NDM on democracy

• Meme war engaging young people

• Pluralistic viewpoint - Alot more views (More democratic)

• Issues - Russian Hacking, Fake News, Cambridge Analytica 

• Future of politics  - Uncertain: Young people use politics to recreate democracy

• Social media impact - Narrative VS facts focus (Is it what sells - NARRATIVE) or (Telling the truth of the event - FACTS) 

My Opinion - NDM has had both positive and negative effects on democracy. Negatively, speaking  the fake news stories of Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump threatened to derail their campaigns respectively sometimes with some of the stories that were stirred up. However, on the positive side NDM has allowed politicians to see that their campaigns reach a wider audience. But politics has also helped the development of the social media networks, namely Twitter which became a more heavily used platform when President Trump took over the POTUS (President of the United States) account as people used the platform to keep up with all his changes particularly during his first 100 days in office.   

Callum - Activision (Blizzard)

• 2007 Activision merged with Vivendi 

• Started 37 years ago 

• Well known game titles - Call of Duty, Guitar Hero 

• $118.6 billion forecast

• Headquarters - Santa Monica California 

• 31m people in the UK play games

• Associations with real life events - Adam Lanza: Sandy Hook Killings

My Opinion: I think that NDM hasn't impacted gaming to heavily yet; physical copies of games still seem to be going strong which is where the real danger of industries survival against NDM has come in because if physical copies aren't sold thousands of people's loose job's and many companies will go bust. However, NDM has arguably had a effect on the gaming industry quite heavily because many companies have taken a hit when they have been blamed for violence in the real world, as it was reported that what people learnt in the games they took to the real world but this for the most part has been proved wrong for most cases.  

Katie - Documentaries

• NDM  drives funding

• Documentaries were originally created with cinema viewing in mind not TV

• Marxism - changes in distribution due to accessibility 

• Online consumption is more cost effective 

• To target the larger audience the facts are often left out 

• UGC - Easier to identify with the audience 

• Documentaries are a lot more global 

• Still large focus on giving the US view

• Todorov = The disequilibrium is constantly manipulated to appeal to the audience. 

• Other documentary examples = Thin Blue Line 

• NDM  has changed traditional documentary but hasn't yet killed it off 

My Opinion: NDM has had a heavy impact on documentaries from consumption through to the way they are marketed but as Katie said traditional documentaries haven't yet been killed off.

Khadijah - Netflix

• World's leading TV network

• 93.8m subscribers 

• 2017 = $6 billion estimated spend on original content 

• Audience - C1,C2,D,E

• A lot of Americanisation within the content 

• Theory - Rokeach + Defleur 

My Opinion - As I have said further up streaming services are growing and not planning on stopping anytime soon. They have had a massive impact on traditional means of entertainment such as the cinema. 

John - Apple Streaming

• Cost - $9.99 per month

• Available in more than 100 countries

• 11% of iOs users currently using Apple Music

• 9 million Apple Music US subscribers

• Midia Blog - Spotify ended year with 40m subscribers

My Opinion - This is just another streaming device among many that are taking off and NDM has had a big impact on them both for positive reasons and negative reasons. Personally, I think NDM has propelled streaming to such a level that it is dominating the market but also keeping industries alive and as I have said further up streaming services seem to be the way forward. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 24th April (66)

Revealed: the more time that children chat on social media, the less happy they feel

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/09/social-networks--children-chat-feel-less-happy-facebook-instagram-whatsapp

Summary

Perhaps Facebook should have a clear health warning displayed as a study reveals that children who spend more time on social media feel less happy in almost all aspects of their lives such as their school work and the school that they attend. However, they do feel happier about their friendships. These findings by a team of economists at the University of Sheffield are to be presented at this week's Royal Economic Society Annual Conference in Bristol and are likely to stoke a heavy debate about the upsides and downsides of social media. Social networking has altered childhood dramatically in the past decade and is becoming a concern for politicians and organisations responsible for safeguarding children. The NSPCC cited social media as a major cause of the dramatic increase in the numbers of children admitted to hospital after self-harming.

Key Statistics

• Spending one hour a day on social networks reduces the probability of a child being completely happy with his or her life overall by around 14%.

• This finding is three times as high as the estimated adverse effect on the wellbeing of being a single parent household.  

• More than 90% of 16- to 24-year-olds use online social networks and while most sites stipulate a minimum user age of 13, few apply any checks. 

•  A BBC survey found that more than three-quarters of 10- to 12-year-olds have social media accounts.

• The amount of time that children between eight and 11 and those aged 12-15 spend online has more than doubled in a decade, the Ofcom report found.

•  Teenagers now spend nearly three and a half more hours a week online than they do watching television.

My Opinion

These statistics are definitely going to spark up a heavy debate; given that social media is being blamed for a lot of things already. Despite, these findings I don't think any users will think twice, they will just carry on using social media as if these statistics do not exist. Although, given these findings, I do think Facebook and the other social networking sites need to make their age restrictions for signing up a lot tighter. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 24th April (65)

Amazon Echo v Google Home - Which smart speaker should you buy?

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/795055/Amazon-Echo-Google-Home-UK-price-release-best-buy

Summary

Amazon Echo is no longer unique... it has got some serious competition from Google with the release of 'Google Home' in the UK. Amazon's Echo device was a surprise hit of 2016 and Amazon won awards for the device. But who's got the better device now... Amazon Echo or Google Home? The article rates both as winners in respective categories when they tested them out. For example, on content Google Home has been pinned as the winner whereas on sound quality the Echo device appears to come out on top. 

Key Statistics

• Amazon's Echo features a 2.5-inch woofer and 2.0-inch tweeter

• While the Google Home device features a high excursion speaker with 2-inch driver and dual 2-inch passive radiators.

• Amazon Echo retails at = £149

• Google Home retails at = £129

My Opinion

It doesn't surprise me that Google has launched something so similar to Amazon's hit Echo device. As I have said in a prior blog post "companies seem to either copy each other or do things that are very similar to one another making the market therefore very competitive and hard to keep your business name at the top of the environment." My current opinion of such devices stands as Amazon Echo and Google Home seem like devices that in actual fact don't offer you something that unique that you can't do just as quickly but as seperate tasks.   

Independent Case Study PPT

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 17th April (64)

Ofsted considers using social media to monitor schools

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/31/ofsted-considers-using-social-media-to-monitor-schools

Summary

Teachers criticise the possible use of "unsubstantiated gossip" to help decide whether an inspection of their school is needed. Ofsted has raised the possibility of using Facebook and Twitter posts to analyse how schools are performing. The school's watchdog said it was exploring “the possibility of using near-real-time data and information from social media and other sources to predict and prevent a decline in school performance”. Ofsted says that the frequency and content of posts about particular schools could determine which inspections are bumped up the list. Mark Orchison (Manging Director Of 9ine Consulting) which advises school's on everything from safeguarding to cyber security says "it seems like the exercise would require gathering real time data and this could be potentially dangerous." Schools ranked “outstanding” do not have routine inspections unless there are concerns that standards may be slipping, while “good” schools have short inspections every three years.

KeyStatistics

• A 2015, survey by The Association Of Teachers and Lecturers which recently voted to merge with the National Union of Teachers found more than 1 in 5 school staff have had a false allegation made against them by a pupil. 

My Opinion

This is quite an interesting story. I didn't think I would see the likes of Ofsted an important educational institution using social media to determine inspection dates for schools anytime soon. Like with any use of social media there are concerns of privacy and trustworthiness of the source and as per the statistic above about false allegations is using social media really the best way for Ofsted to see how school's are performing. Yes, people tend to speak their mind on social media nowadays rather than in person so they are hidden behind the screen in most instances but you do not know whether it's true or not. And with false allegations already being a known problem, and being posted on social media how many people's livelihoods could be getting ruined because on social media people are not afraid to name and shame and that post is not going away.

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 17th April (63)

Journalists must meet challenge of social and digital media

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/apr/16/journalists-must-meet-challenge-of-social-and-digi/

Summary

Journalism and communication is vital to the functioning of our democracy. How else would we have known what is going on? However, this question of knowing what is going on hasn't been a question to consider for several years now. As social media has been changing the way we communicate and consume news, dramatically. We experience these dramatic changes in our lives every day, for example sharing a photo with a loved one a continent away is now communicated through the likes of Facebook and Whatsapp rather than sending a postcard. Also, to track a news event as it unfolds we turn to Twitter feeds from prominent individuals rather than TV news. Digital media innovations have been described by academics and social media experts as an "echo chamber" phenomenon.   

KeyStatistics

• According to the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, 52 percent of the general population in the United States say they do not regularly listen to people or organisations with whom they often disagree and are nearly three times more likely to ignore information that supports a position they do not believe in.

My Opinion

Digital media has without a doubt changed a lot of things in our lives. It some ways it has brought positive changes, for example as an audience we are a lot more active rather than passive. However, it has also brought negative changes in that with the rise of social media we are less reliant on printed newspapers hence why traditional newspaper outlets are struggling greatly and as the article outlines journalists are facing the great challenge of social media and digital media which is threatening their existence altogether at the moment with the way in continues to grow. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 10th April (62)

Amazon climbs as beneficiary of ‘retail apocalypse’

https://www.ft.com/content/0a399b8e-1e09-11e7-a454-ab04428977f9

Summary

An analyst upgrade helped lift Amazon 1.4% higher on Monday with the company seen as one of the main beneficiaries of a renewed focus on the demise of US shopping malls. This renewed focus came as weak sales and the annoucements of store closures from companies like 'Sears and Macy's' have heightened investor nerves over the sector. Kerry Rice an analyst at Needham and Company said "The retail apocalypse in the US has reached a tipping point... consumers are largely going online... Amazon is quite likely to be the largest recipient of more ecommerce transactions". The trend shows no signs of dieing down either; Mr Rice citied figures from eMarketerer in his report  that reported eccommerce as a total of sales will only increase.

Key Statistics

• Ecommerce as a total of retail sales in the US is only expected to expand from 8% in 2016 to 13.5% by 2021.

Amazon Share price: Source Thomson Reuters Datastream

• The US is still Amazon's biggest market contributing roughly to 70% of its total eCommerce revenue. 

•  Amazon's gain coincided with rival TV streaming service, Netflix which ended the day 0.5% higher at $143.85. 

• This climb for Netflix comes after recovering from a more than 1.3% fall in early morning trading.

• The earlier dip came alongside the departure of Neil Hunt, Netflix's chief product officer who will step down in July after 18 years at the company. 

My Opinion

This development for Netflix is not a shock to me personally. With the continued developments of NDM I expected stories to surface about eCommerce growing and that this would have a fatal impact on shopping outlets. Shopping online is simply more convenient for us all but it presents the question whether this demise of the shops themselves is chopping out a large chuck of the audience that is not being catered to. There are many people of the older generations who are not computer literate like the rest of us so how are they supposed to shop if the physical stores are soon to be non existent. The developments of NDM are forcing them to learn about a technology that they may not want to learn but haven't a choice.   

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 10th April (61)

Google Maps users should NOT trust EVERYTHING in this app, and this is why

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/790524/Google-Maps-Update-Trust

Summary

We shouldn't be trusting everything that Google maps tell us... New research conducted by Google and researchers at the University of San Diego shows that tens of thousands of fraudulent businesses are being created in the app every month. In a bid to drive web traffic towards their fraudulent schemes. For example, the app may list a locksmith at an address where there are actually no business premises. When a customer calls the listed number they are put through to a centralised call centre system which hires thousands of unaccredited contractors to do jobs all over. According, to the researcher's customers, are often coerced into paying more than the originally quoted prices and can't complain at the store because it doesn't exist.

Key Statistics

• Researchers looked at more than 100,000 listings flagged by the Google maps team as abusive between June 2014 and September 2015.

• The group found that less than 1% of all Google Maps listings were fraudulent. 

• The US was home to more than half of all fraudulent business listings followed by India with 17.5%.

  

Example of a fraudulent listing

My Opinion

I think for many people this a shocking story to hear because we all put so much faith in Google Maps to get us from A to B, while for some others it will just be another story that fuels their reason for being so sceptical of the online world. With regards, to the fraudulent listings, you would think with the likes of the 'street view' function we would be able to see whether the address looks legit however by fraudsters listing themselves next to well-known names like the petrol station example above or within retail parks, many of us are likely to struggle to spot the difference. I think that the moral of this story for many is going to be that unless it has a real store that you can go too to make a purchase do not contact the named listings. While others may consider this to be a simple glitch among many thousands of legit listings. 

Independent Case Study Index

• The Basics
• Media Magazine & Fact sheet Research
• Independent NDM case study: Up-to-the-minute web research
• Audience Questions 
• Institution Questions
• UGC Questions
• Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony
• Globalization Questions
• Social Media Questions
• Statistics Questions
• Independent Case Study - Theories, Issues & Debates, Wider examples and secondary texts

Independent Case Study - Theories, Issues & Debates, Wider examples and secondary texts

Theories

1) What media theories can you apply to your chosen industry and case study? Select THREE media theories and explain how they are relevant to your case study. Note: these can be ANY of the theories we have learned over the whole of Year 12 and 13.

Uses and Gratifications

• Media audience are more active and have been given the opportunity to choose how they consume media and at present, the popular trend appears to be VoD services such as Netflix and LoveFilm. 

Techno-Panic/Moral Panic

• Despite the quicker and more accessible nature of watching films that NDM developments have brought a lot of people are quite scared as to the information that people can access about them through a simple VoD profile. Not only this many people stick with the cinema because they are cautious of linking their credit/debit cards to an online site given many recent stories about some of the large conglomerates being hacked and similar. 

Cultivation Theory - Gerber

• The increased subscriptions of VoD services and the time spent on them could begin to shape our perceptions of social reality. On average we are spending 2 hours on such platforms and this type of exposure could mean that we see reality differently. For example, if we expose ourselves to a lot of violent films then we could shape a perception of reality that the real world is a violent place. 

Issues/debates

1) What media issues and debates can you apply to your chosen industry and case study? Select THREE media issues/debates and explain how they are relevant to your case study.

Technology

The VoD world and technology, in general, is still a fairly new concept and still developing... What does that really mean for the survival of the traditional cinema film distributors? What could further developments mean for them, will it allow them to better compete or shut them down for good?

(SHEP) Economic

Previously, we would be paying for a single film at the cinema costing upwards of £20 anyway in addition to snacks etc. Now with the developments of NDM and the VoD, we can pay a set fee (Netflix = £7.99 a month/ Now TV: £9.99 a month) and enjoy an unlimited film catalogue. It is a much more cost-efficient strategy, therefore, attracting more people. There are many people who never used to watch films at all because the cinema was too expensive but now they can in a way that is affordable for them.   

(SHEP) Historical

In the past, there was first a time when cinemas did not exist at all. Then cinema screens came along but they were primarily used for people to view the news and information about the latest war developments and similar and the rare film showings could only be afforded by the elite. However, the changes are dramatic. We have gone from the phenomenal development of watching films at the cinema to watching them streaming straight from our phones, tablets and computers. 

Wider examples and secondary texts

1) What other texts or institutions are also relevant to your case study? What would be good secondary texts or examples to use to support the findings of your independent case study?

• Instant Video is only available to Amazon customers who pay for its "Prime Instant Video" membership, which costs £5.99 a month, or the online giant's £79-a-year "Prime" service. Both offer a month's free trial.

Now TV offers four packages to customers:

• Entertainment Month Pass
• Sky Cinema Month Pass
• Kids Month Pass
• Sports Month Pass

Unless cancelled these month passes renew at:

• Kids £2.99pm
• Entertainment £6.99pm
• Sky Cinema £9.99pm
• Sky Sports £33.99pm.

Independent Case Study - Statistics

1) What statistics can you find to illustrate the impact new and digital media has had on your industry or case study? For example, in news, the UK newspaper industry sold more than 12m copies a day in 2001 but in 2014 it was below 7m.

• Going forward, the theatre has weaker prospects that it ever has in last 30 years 

• Blockbuster ticket sales were down by roughly 10% at Summer of 2016

• 18 -39-year-old audience has declined in the last 5 years quite dramatically according to Motion Pictures of America. 

• Movie attendance dropped by a surprisingly sharp 5.1% in 2014, this is unlikely to be an industry ebb as admittances plunged to the lowest level since 1995. 

• The most worrisome data nugget concerns Americans aged 14-24 — people in this age bracket delivered a stunning 15% decline in movie-going. This comes right after a reported 17% decline in the previous year.

• Back-to-back double-digit attendance declines among young consumers seem to point to something deeper than which selection of superheroes hit the theaters in 2014.

• The time that adult American smartphone users spend on their devices has mushroomed in recent years, hitting 2 hours or even more on a daily basis, depending on research sources. That 120 or 150 minutes a day clearly must be hurting a variety of other entertainment options.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/206828/revenue-of-lionsgate/

http://www.investors.com/news/lions-gate-revs-up-streaming-deals/

2) Looking at these statistics, what impact has new/digital media had on institutions in your chosen industry? 

NDM has had a  negative impact on Lionsgate and other institutions such as 20th Century fox as with the introduction of VoD services such as Netflix cinemas have lost a large chunk of their audiences to VoD thus affecting the revenues that the distributors get from ticket sales. This has, therefore, had quite a bad knock on effect on the distributors as many of them have struggled to survive and often found themselves hanging on by a thin thread. Evident as 'Lionsgate had not made a profit for 5 years prior to the first Hunger Games film being released'. 

3) What has the impact been for audiences? These may be positive and negative.


The impact, of NDM for the audience, has been positive because it has allowed them to have a more easily accessible and quicker way to watch a movie wherever they want. However, the once wonderful joy of watching a film in the cinema died a long time ago, so despite the positive changes that NDM has brought I wonder how much a film can really be enjoyed if it isn't at the cinema and instead on your phone? However, the impact of NDM on the audiences has also been negative because given that everything is online it can present a lot of problems, for instance, the system could go down not only this a lot of people are concerned about using such online services due to issues of identity fraud and hacking.  

Independent Case Study - Social Media

1) How has your industry or case study used social media to promote its products?

Lionsgate Facebook

Lionsgate Instagram

Lionsgate Twitter

Lionsgate uses social media very well to promote their products. Across all three of the accounts above, there is synergy between what is being promoted which is the latest reboot of the 'Power Rangers'. All three platforms latest posts are exactly the same and this synergy helps to promote the film because it provides consistency and promotes the brand to a wider audience. For example, through synergy on all three platforms, the film is promoted, Lionsgate as a distributor is promoted, the film soundtrack is promoted and the accompanying merchandise is also promoted and promoting the merchandise promotes the distributors of the merchandise. 

2) Provide examples of how your case study has used social media and explain the impact this would have on audiences.

Evidence of Lionsgate's use of social media is above. The use of social media impacts the audience positively as it keeps them better informed about the latest film releases by Lionsgate in the way that most people are prone to checking (online!) the frequency of our social media use nowadays means that it is vital for a firm to have a presence on social media. Social media also has a positive impact on the audience because it allows them to explore into areas/topics that they might not have previously explored. For example, the trending hashtag for the reboot of Power Rangers was '#MorphinMonday' and somebody who may have originally only followed Lionsgate for information on La La Land could go and explore this hashtag and take interest in the film.  
 3) Is social media an opportunity or a threat to your industry and case study?

 I think social media is an opportunity for Lionsgate in regards to film viewing and distribution as it is a free to use marketing tool that allows them to reach audiences of national and global proportion and therefore distribute to more countries thus bettering their profits. Although, social media marketing is so common that to survive in this competitive market Lionsgate need to be unique with their use of it. However, just like for any business social media is also a threat because bad comments about Lionsgate can be incredibly damaging to their brand image affecting how they compete with the bigger studios such as 20th Century Fox and the VoD world. 

Independent Case Study - Globalization

1) How has globalization impacted on your chosen industry or case study?

Globalisation has impacted in terms of the digital revolution as more and more of us are taking advantage of the ability to watch films from home through a variety of different devices from big TV screens to our mobile phones rather than going to the cinema to see an airing of a film which is evident as Netflix has approximately '93 million subscribers worldwide'. Globalisation has also impacted through cultural convergence as both Netflix and Lionsgate can offer a wider variety of materials to a wider target audience; it is not as confined. This is as a result of increased access to global media and increased demand for consumer choice which has meant that large media organizations (Lionsgate & Netflix) are slowly providing more of what we consume.  

2) In your opinion, has globalization had a positive or negative impact on your chosen industry and case study? Why?

I think that globalization has had a positive impact on my chosen case study as it has given us the opportunity to access movies in a quicker and more efficient way. As a result, of technological advances, we do not have to leave our houses to watch a film if we do not want to and as technology develops even further we are granted with the ability to access even wider ranges of media.

3) Can you find examples of cultural imperialism in your case study or industry? (The 'Americanisation' of the world)

Lionsgate is based in the USA with the vast majority approximately 85%+ of the staff being US born for instance Micheal Burns and Jon Feltheimer. Despite, this the founder of Lionsgate was actually born in Canada. 

Independent Case Study - Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

1) What would be a Marxist perspective of the impact of new and digital media on your chosen case study?

A Marxist perspective would see that power still lies with the likes of distributors like Lionsgate despite the developments that NDM has brought. They can dictate the advertising of the film as they see fit once the filmmakers have sold/sacrificed the rights of their film to them. This is considered to be the 'traditional model' of distribution allowing the film distributors to control advertising on all platforms including VoD.   
2) How would a pluralist view the impact of new and digital media in your chosen industry?

A pluralist would view the impact of NDM positively; as it has meant that there is less of a separation between the viewers and the distributors. What we watch and when we watch it isn't completely controlled by distributors like Lionsgate anymore. Media organizations are responsive to the audience as pluralists believe even more than before. With the likes of VoD services such as Netflix content is categorized to suit the users through the individual profiles that can be created under one account. One profile in the account can be tailored to suit a Rom-Com lover while the other can be tailored to suit a thriller film lover.   

3) Are there any examples of hegemony in your chosen industry or case study?

I think hegemony examples come from the Netflix and VoD side of my case study into film viewing and distribution. I think hegemony is evident in regards to the films that Netflix features relative to the actors that star in it. For example, the film 'Grown Up's 2' starring the more recognized 'Adam Sandler' amongst other films starring him is constantly featured in the 'trending' list and more highly recommended in regards to user ratings as a pose to a film starring a smaller name actor/actress such as 'Bridgit Moynahan' known for a lot of series shows such as 'Going to California'.While some of her films are advertised on Netflix they do not appear at the top of the listings as often.  

Independent Case Study - UGC

1) What examples of user-generated content can you find in your case study?

In regards, to Lionsgate there is no direct UGC for them. However, there is UGC from the promotion of films released by them; examples are below. 

"#MorphinMonday" - Recently revamped Power Rangers film released by Lionsgate

"La La Land" fan powered wiki page (UGC) gives fans all the gossip about the film: Trailers, Cast information, BTS snippets and more.

2) How has UGC changed things for audiences or institutions in your chosen case study?

UGC has changed things for both audiences and institutions greatly within my chosen case study and in general. Smartphones, tablets etc have become an everyday tool in life that we rely on to function . As audiences we rely on smartphones to tell people things and to be informed of things ourselves (e.g. film releases).Then, institutions such as Lionsgate rely on smartphones to carry the promotion of the films they release to gather the interest of the audience. For example, institutions will advertise really interesting BTS snippets amongst other things that will encourage viewers to generate UGC because they feel compelled to want to share their view of what they have just watched, therefore carrying the promotion of the film. UGC has also changed things for institutions because we as the audience tend to digest and better consider UGC (viewer opinions) and this can determine whether we go and see a film, thus affecting the insitutions profits.